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Document Details :

Title: The Jordan River as a Natural Barrier between Two Expressions of Christianity
Subtitle: An Architectural Analysis of 4th-7th Centuries Palestine and Hawran (300-700 A.D.)
Author(s): VIVIANI, Maria Teresa
Journal: ARAM Periodical
Volume: 15    Date: 2003   
Pages: 11-37
DOI: 10.2143/ARAM.15.0.504523

Abstract :
The author proposes that the overhaul of the Christian architecture of Palestine and Jordan reveals that the Jordan River Valley was also a genuine barrier to Roman penetration of Transjordan. The basilica architecture flourished only where the imperial control and influx were strong; there the pattern became a norm. The rest of the region stayed under the control of the local population, monks and caravan tribes that refused to construct Roman basilicas. Their churches follow the traditional architectural patterns of the region.

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